"I don't know," I conceded.

Three simple words and then an awkward pause...

"I knew you didn't know ten minutes ago.  Why did it take you so long to admit it?"

It was an interview for my dream internship.  The interviewer was my mentor.  The other two interviewers politely asked a total of six questions, but his inquisition hadn't stopped.  I thought he would be the easy one of the three.  Instead he drilled me with topics well beyond knowledge base.  My answers had eventually progressed to guesswork. He continued...

"You have the potential to learn much during your time here, but if you already know it all, how are we supposed to teach you anything?"

Those three words were originally forced out of me.  I now embrace them.  "I don't know" is the hallmark of learning - the hallmark of being teachable…

...and just one of the ways to help your audiences live intelligently!

"Neil is one of the most professional and inspirational presenters I have ever heard.  He combines humor, knowledge, and insight into his presentations...I never miss an opportunity to hear him speak."

- Jim Engh, HR Operations Manager

Live intelligently…

The Complicated Business of Living the Life of a Human Being

Do you know what Mayflies have to complete in their lifetimes?  Breed and die.  That's it.  And they usually do that in 24 hours.  Starfish's to do list includes eating clams and avoid being eaten.   They don't even have a brain.  Human animals, however, are a bit more complex.  We are the only animal society that permits mimes.   Our lives are less and less about survival.  Instead, we are living in an age that offers unprecedented choices and opportunities.  Our life then becomes a one long to-do list where "Prioritize Your Life" is #167 if it appears at all.   Simplify.  Discover your passions.  What do you want to live for?  What's on your life's to-do list?

4 Secrets to Becoming a S.T.A.R.

There are two kinds of people in life – those that talk about their dreams and those who achieve them.  What’s the difference between them?  Four very important characteristics.  How many do you have?

"I have heard Neil speak a number of times and I would listen to him speak on any topic any time.  He's fantastic!"

- Mason Quackenbush, Human Resource Director

Work intelligently…

Authentic Leadership

Leadership involves understanding others and moving them toward a common goal.  But, more importantly, leadership involves understanding how you motivate others and how they respond to you moving them toward a common goal.  Having an accurate understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and quirks will have a profound impact on your leadership effectiveness.    It boils down to three points…Have a clue, be you, and be true.

Making Meetings Work

The average employee will spend 3.2 years of their life in meetings.  Some of you have attended that meeting.   Meetings can be a great opportunity for ideas to come to life, updates given, progress measured, and work tasks divided.  They are necessary and useful, but they should only take place when they can be done efficiently, effectively and have some benefit to all of the participants involved. 

The Manager's New Clothes

Don't think you and the Emperor have much in common?  Think again.   Hans Christian Anderson's tale has some great management application.  Does your new management title immediately enlighten you?   Are your new reports allowed to address the obvious or do they need to tow the party line?  Helpful insights as you begin your new venture!

"Clone him!"- Becky Ingles, Nursing Manager

 
Play intelligently…

Teetering on the Brink - Lessons in Work/Life Balance

A colleague once told me a very telling statement concerning his boss, his wife, his co-workers, his children, his friends…all the major players in his life, "If they are all mad at me a little bit, then I am doing all right."   The message: there's not enough of him to keep everyone satisfied in his life.  Is work/life balance a myth?  No!  It is possible to survive and thrive in the world of work, and to balance work performance with personal development and quality of life.  Time will be spent addressing current balances between work and home.  In addition, we will explore the double-messages organizations send employees when they say they support work/life balance and yet subtlety reward imbalance.  

Happy, Happy!!  Joy, Joy!!

How often are you happy?  When was the last time you experienced pure joy?   Last belly laugh?  If it's taken you more than ten seconds to move on to this sentence, we need to talk.  Are we entitled to happiness?  Our forefathers thought so.  We could use a few lessons from those that experience happiness on a regular basis.   Our teachers will include a few philosophers, scientists, and an animal or two.  Smile.

 
"Great presenter!  I could tell he really knew his stuff and believed in it!  It makes a huge difference if your presenter is interactive and interesting." - Anonymous participant

Relate Intelligently... 

Setting the Stage for Healthy Conflict

It is a fact that if you combine people, a common environment, and enough time there will be conflict. It is not a possibility, but an inevitability. We must then learn to plan, prepare, and manage this conflict in a healthy manner.   We can start this process by understanding and extolling the benefits of having and mining for conflict.

"Can I be honest with you?  I can't be honest with you."

Organizational cultures don't always support truthtellers.  Recent high-profile examples in the energy and finance business demonstrate the crippling effects a culture can have when it does not embrace authenticity.   Does your organizational culture embrace honest questions, tough conversations, authentic inquiries?  Tolerate them?   Shun them?  Punish them?  Change is possible, but it often begins with you.

• Merrill Lynch
• Sun
• Wal-Mart
• Occidental Petroleum
• Staub Metals
• Workforce Connections
• Allscripts